Focus
by TheMythTheLegend
Summary: Annabeth is in her senior year of high school and her final season playing on the Goode varsity volleyball team. With the state championship in their sight, the position of valedictorian almost within her grasp and her ongoing long-distance relationship with her boyfriend Luke Castellan, she needed to stay focused more than ever. But when do things ever really go according to plan?
1. Chapter 1

As the smell of liquor and smoke filled her nostrils for what seemed like the millionth time that night, and several pairs of hands shoved her towards the open closet door, Annabeth came to the realization that she should've just stayed home.

The second that Piper had texted and asked if she wanted to come with her to Drew's party, she had a sick feeling immediately overtake her entire body. But she, like the idiot that she is, had said yes. It was a Friday night, they had just crushed one of their rival teams in their volleyball game the night before, and she had nothing else to do. So why not? So, she had thrown on the best looking dress Piper had available for her, did her makeup nicer than she normally would have and elevated the outfit with a nice pair of silvery heels. She spent most of her time getting ready trying to convince herself that she would have a fun time.

Well, it was more of Piper trying to convince her that she'd have a fun time.

As the girls did their hair and makeup together, Annabeth's best friend went on and on about how amazing this party was going to be. She spoke about the amount of people coming, the certain special people that would be there, and even about the kinds of alcohol that would be present. Drew had a certain way in which she bypassed ID checks that no one really knew. Annabeth had always theorized that she simply flashed the men behind the counter and it was enough for them to hand over the booze.

But anyway, she had stupidly agreed to attend and was quickly realizing she shouldn't have. It wasn't long before the closet door slammed shut behind her, and several people leaned against it so it couldn't be opened so she could escape. "Shit," Annabeth cursed under her breath before she turned to the other person in the closet across from her, an equally flustered football player who'd also gotten shoved in against his will. "Uh..." she began before she stopped, unable to meet his gaze.

There were very few cases in which she, Annabeth Chase, was at a loss for words, yet here she was. The boy was looking at her, hanging on the single word that dissipated in the air, before he cleared his throat. "Ah...well, I don't know if we've ever been properly introduced," he admitted with a sheepish smile. He held out a hand. "Jason Grace." She clasped his hand in hers, giving it a few firm shakes before she pulled back. "Annabeth Chase," she said, giving him an equally unsure smile. She already knew who he was, but she was thankful for the opportunity to waste another minute until she could escape the closet and reunite with Piper.

He was the quarterback for the Goode High School varsity football team, and Annabeth figured everyone in town knew the blonde-haired athlete either from his performance on the field or the numerous pictures of him plastered in the newspapers. After the simple handshake, his smile became a bit more genuine. "The volleyball team captain," he said with a small chuckle. "You're quite the living legend." She shook her head immediately, giving him a modest smile. "I'm really not," she assured, though he responded with a shake of his head. "Don't give me that! I came to your last home game, against Yancy. You guys absolutely destroyed them." Annabeth assured him that she couldn't take credit for anything and that it was their team that got the win.

"You're one to talk though," she said through a small smile as she recounted his performance in their last football season. Their first game was scheduled for the following Friday, so they hadn't actually played yet this year. They talked sports for a bit before someone slammed a fist on the door and surprised both of them as the girl in question shrieked out that they had one minute left. Mischief lit up in Jason's eyes as he grabbed her arm for a moment to gain her attention.

"Hey, follow my lead."

He pushed his fingers through his hair to mess it up from how it was perfectly styled, and continued on to loosen the collar of his button down and switch the buttons so it looked like he had hastily redone it. She got his idea and mussed up her own curly blonde hair, pushing the shoulder straps of her dress so one of them hung off limply as if someone had been tugging on her dress. As they both heard people counting down outside the door, he gently touched her arm, giving her a sheepish smile. "Oh, yeah, uh...by the way," he began sheepishly. Annabeth could see the pink tint in his cheeks even in the dark closet.

"If it's not too big of a request, do you think you could talk to Piper about me?"

* * *

When they finally released the pair from the closet, the first thing to happen was everyone cheering Jason on and asking for details about what they had "done" in there. Some of his teammates slapped him on the back, hollering and whistling as Jason gave a sheepish smile and fixed his shirt and his hair. The first one to speak to Annabeth individually was Piper. She quickly pulled her aside to a more secluded area and gave her the single most apologetic look that the blonde had ever seen. "I'm so sorry," she exclaimed, grasping her friend's arms tightly. "I turned around to talk to Hazel for a second and when I turned back around Silena had you and was dragging you towards the closet."

Piper was one of her teammates and oldest friends. Though she loved her to death, it often frustrated Annabeth that her friend was able to look stunning and beautiful no matter what. Whether she had just gotten out of a hard practice, was drenched in sweat, and had her choppy brown hair thrown into a ponytail or if she was dressed up in some of her nicest clothes and wearing flawless makeup like she was now, she was beautiful. Annabeth had to try ten times as hard just to look half as decent.

It took a few moments for the blonde to realize that Piper's multicolored eyes were still trained intently on her, and she simply offered a shrug and a small smile. "Hey, don't worry about it," she laughed and stole Piper's red plastic cup from her hand, taking a swig of whatever was inside. It tasted strong and it burned going down her throat, but she welcomed the fiery feeling it left in her stomach.

The brunette simply rolled her eyes and stole the cup back, though Annabeth could see the small smile that played on her lips. "I didn't even see you get pulled out of the closet because there was such a big crowd. Who did you get stuck in there with?" she asked, taking a sip from her returned cup as they both watch Silena grab some poor cheerleader and shove her towards the door, everyone cheering in response.

"Well, Jason," Annabeth admitted with a shrug, which definitely caught Piper's attention. "Jason Grace?" she asked, thoroughly shocked. "You got to play seven minutes in heaven with the Jason Grace?" Annabeth laughed, throwing her arm around her flustered friend before she stole her cup once more. "No, Pipes. We just sat and talked," she assured the brunette before she took a long sip from the cup. The burn from the alcohol inside it was becoming numb and it ended up tasting a lot better now. "Really though, you are into him, right?"

Piper playfully fanned her face with her hand, leaning against her friend. "Into him is an understatement," she admitted with a slight shrug as she swooned, taking the opportunity to go on and on about his gorgeous blue eyes and that blonde hair that could help you spot him from a mile away. Annabeth just listened, deciding to be a supportive friend as she drained the rest of the liquid from the cup. When it was gone, she set it down on the end table near the couch.

When she felt the time was right, she finally rested a hand on her friend's arm to stop her, and gave her a big smile before she spoke: "He asked me about you."

* * *

After Annabeth had told her friend all the nice details about the conversation back in the closet concerning her, she almost squealed. Immediately after, Piper went to find Jason before the blonde could stop her, and she was alone once more. She made her way to the kitchen to get her own drink since she had drained Piper's during her rant about the star quarterback.

On her way over, Annabeth had to dodge around people in the living room dancing and grinding away to some loud music, drunk people standing in groups while they talked and laughed loudly, as well as several people so drunk or high that they had no idea where they were or what was going on. She finally made it to the kitchen, where it was surprisingly not as crowded, though there were a couple people in there. The two of them were actually seated on the kitchen table, making out like there was no tomorrow.

As Annabeth rifled through the fridge for a decent drink, she stole glances at the couple. She had no idea who the boy was, but anyone could have recognized the girl. Drew Tanaka, the host of every wild and crazy party ever thrown and the captain of the cheer team. How stereotypical, right? She hated that she couldn't find a decent drink, and was considering just leaving so she wouldn't have to listen to them sucking face, when Drew finally giggled and climbed off his lap, gently leading him out of the kitchen. When she got to the door, though, she stopped and let him keep going.

When he was finally out of sight, she sauntered over towards Annabeth and gave her a small smile, her lipstick only the tiniest bit smudged from her encounter with the mystery guy. "Hey, Annie," she giggled as she grabbed a red cup from the stack on the counter, pouring in several different liquids before she was satisfied and took a tentative sip. "I hope you're having fun."

Since Annabeth was a volleyball player, she was one of the more popular girls in the school. This also meant that Drew was decently nice to her, unlike how she acted towards others. Annabeth didn't really know what to think of her. She had heard horror stories of her destroying relationships, ruining lives with rumors, but she had no clue if they were true or not. She didn't care to find out, either. The blonde simply grabbed a beer from the back and shut the door before she twisted the cap off. "Hey, Drew," she said politely, giving her the smallest of smiles. "I am. I mean...other than getting locked in the closet, I guess."

They shared a laugh as Drew leaned against a counter across from her. "Yeah, Silena loves trying to match people up like that," the cheerleader said with a smile as she sipped her drink. "Her heart is in the right place, it's just that her methods aren't sound whatsoever." They shared another laugh before Drew leaned a little closer and gave her a little grin. "How are you and Luke, though?" she asked in a soft voice before she winked slyly. Annabeth's cheeks flushed a tame shade of pink as she mentioned her boyfriend, and the image of his beautiful blue eyes and his sandy colored hair popped into her mind. Reason number one why she had been so hesitant to head into the closet.

Her boyfriend, Luke Castellan, was a couple years older than herself and was enrolled in a university in upstate New York. They had started dating a couple months or so ago, when he had been home for summer break. They had been friends since childhood, and she realized her crush on him long before they actually started dating. She was happy. He was amazing, sweet, caring; everything a great boyfriend should be. It was just hard for her not seeing him all that often.

Annabeth snapped out of her daydream with the realization that Drew's eyes were still focused intently on her, waiting for her answer. She nodded and gave the cheerleader a warm smile. "Things are amazing, actually," she chuckled softly. "He's coming home next weekend for the first time since he went up there in August, and I'm excited to see him."

Drew nodded with a warm smile, sipping her drink as she listened to Annabeth speak about her boyfriend. If there was one thing she could respect, it was a good relationship like the volleyball player and her boyfriend had. "That's amazing, Annie." They both laughed a little and talked until a loud crash sounded from the living room, and Drew had to run off to check what it was.

Meanwhile Annabeth stayed in the kitchen, sipping her drink and daydreaming about when Luke would be coming home.

* * *

The night dragged on, and soon Annabeth went off to find Piper. She knew that the brunette had been either looking for or following around Jason all night, and that it was time for them to get to Annabeth's house. She searched around the living room and the surrounding hallways of the giant house, before she came across someone who she knew would know where the quarterback was.

Percy Jackson, Jason's best friend, teammate, and cousin. He was one of the other star players on the team, a halfback with scholarships lined up from almost every single major college in the country. Besides football, he was definitely a hotshot at Goode. With his messy dark hair and his sea green eyes, every girl within the school had a crush on him, whether past or present (It also didn't hurt that he had a pretty great physique).

Not that Annabeth was part of that statistic.

He had been leaning against the wall with a can of Coke held in his hand, watching as a group of people played spin the bottle on the living room floor, all too drunk to care who or what they were actually kissing. As the blonde approached him, he raised his eyes from the game to her, and gave her a small smile. "Hey," he said before taking a sip of his drink. She opened her mouth to speak, but was beat to the punch by the raven-haired boy. "I'm guessing you're looking for Piper," he stated with a smile. He motioned towards the sliding glass door that led into the backyard with his elbow.

"She's out there, talking with Jason." As she gave him a small smile and thanked him, she started to head towards the door. He called out to her once again, causing her to spin around. "Hey, do you mind sending Jason in here? We need to get going too."

It wasn't long before Annabeth and Piper were on their way in the car. The blonde was driving, since she'd only had a bit to drink, and therefore was cursed to listen to her tipsy friend about her night with the star quarterback. As she pulled into her driveway, she felt as if she knew more about Jason than even Percy did. Since it was late, they headed inside and sneaked up to Annabeth's room.

She had to push Piper up the stairs faster since her friend was a. slightly drunk, b. not old enough to be slightly drunk and c. in the same house as the blonde's overbearing stepmother.

They finally made it up and Annabeth shut and locked the door behind them, breathing a sigh of relief before she began to get herself ready for bed. They had an afternoon practice almost every Saturday and Sunday, since they were on the warpath for the state championship. Their coach believed they needed to devote every single day to volleyball, which Annabeth strongly agreed with.

She removed her own makeup and dress clothes, changing into shorts and a blue volleyball hoodie before she assisted Piper. She had recently stopped her rant about Jason, and instead talked to her friend about volleyball. The two of them were team captains together and needed to find ways to bond the team over the course of the season. They wouldn't get anywhere if they didn't all work together as a single unit.

"Team bonding!" Piper assured her friend as she managed to finally pull on her t-shirt that she had been struggling with for the past couple minutes. Annabeth snorted but nodded in agreement as she tied her hair up into a messy bun, several blonde curls framing her face as they came loose. "That's a conversation for tomorrow, when you're not too tipsy to suggest going camping together or taking a group shopping trip," the blonde quipped as she climbed into her bed, flicking off her lamp as her friend threw herself down beside her.

Piper muttered a joke about how Annabeth needed to dress in something besides t-shirts and spandex sometime in her life, though the blonde simply ignored her. "Shut up, Piper. Just go to sleep." Her friend finally took heed of her words and drifted off, though Annabeth stayed awake for a bit, just thinking. About volleyball, about the party, about school, about everything.

She'd been stressing harder than she needed to over her final year of high school and her senior season of her favorite sport. Sometimes, she got too much in her own head and got too worked up over trivial matters like school or practices. Though, she believed it kept her grounded for the most part. So maybe it was a good thing.

Right?


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, y'all. Sorry I didn't put one of these in the first chapter, I just kind of zoned out and forgot. Also for the fact that it's also been two weeks since the first chapter. Kinda zoned on that one too. I'm going to try and post every Friday. I hope y'all are liking this, it's been a while since I've done any of these. Maybe recommend it to some people, as well. That would help. Thanks, and enjoy!

* * *

The shrieking sound of a whistle echoed through the gym, which simply made Annabeth's lungs feel like they were even more on fire, if that was possible. "Hustle, girls!"

That would be their coach, a shorter woman named Kim, who had been coaching volleyball for Goode for almost 30 years. She had about 20 district, 10 regional, and 3 state championship wins under her belt. So, yeah. She knew her stuff.

At the moment, they were running full court sprints, touching each line on the length of the volleyball court in succession and sprinting back to the baseline repeatedly until they made their way back and forth across the court. Whenever they slacked too much, their coach would blow her whistle and signal that they'd better pick it up or else they would be running more. As she reached down to brush her fingers along the hardwood floor at half court after their fifth consecutive time up and down the court, Annabeth winced.

Her skin was burning and sweat poured down her face and her chest. She hadn't been worked this hard in a while. Their coach strongly believed that a good volleyball team was a conditioned volleyball team, which was a fair thought. They didn't have a game until next week on Wednesday, and their coach thought that they needed to do more intense training and workouts the entire week before. Annabeth enjoyed the challenge to an extent, but her body certainly did not. One of her life mottos was that "running is good for the body but bad for the soul".

When she finished her series of sprints, she slowed down back on the initial end of the court and smacked her forehead against the padded wall, breathing harder than she thought possible. They had spent most of the practice sprinting and lifting weights and doing other strenuous full-body workouts rather than actual volleyball drills, and everyone was thoroughly exhausted. When the team had finished their sprints, their coach gathered them up in a loose circle near the middle of the gym and stood in the center of them all, looking around at every one of them.

"Nice work today, ladies," she said in a voice tinged with approval. "The effort and hustle I saw on that court today shows all the makings of a championship team." Her statement was met with whoops from the volleyball players, all tired and sweaty but grinning nonetheless. Their head coach made eye contact with Annabeth as she spoke her next words. "The leadership I see on and off the court is what is going to lead us to states this year." Her gaze moved on, and Annabeth gave a little grin as she brushed off some sweat that had been dripping down her forehead. "Keep working hard and get ready for a light practice on Saturday and Sunday."

The team cheered one final time before they all dispersed to take off their shoes and knee pads, Piper and Annabeth walking side by side over towards where their bags were laying near the wall. "I feel like I'm going to collapse," Piper muttered, tugging loosely on the collar of her sweat-soaked t-shirt. "Coach is really making us work for starting spots this year, huh?"

Annabeth simply cracked a grin at her friend as she plopped down to remove her shoes. "Yeah, well, I wouldn't worry if I were you, Pipes. You've been varsity setter for two years even before this season started. I think you're gonna be alright," she chuckled as she loosened the laces of her volleyball shoes. Her brunette friend sat down beside her and sighed. "Whatever, Annie. If I can't doubt myself, then you can't doubt yourself starting outside this season," she stated firmly with a grin, causing Annabeth to flush.

Ever since she'd been in middle school, she'd been training to be a hitter. Every day working on her form, her footwork, her approach, her swing. She had been moved up to the varsity team as a freshman, and was their starting outside hitter by the end of that season. All Annabeth had ever known in her life was hard work, and when it paid off, it only made her want to work harder.

She tried to ignore her friend's comment as she slipped on her tennis shoes and her blue Goode sweatshirt. When she had finally finished throwing on everything, she glanced at her friend once more. "You and Hazel are still coming over before the game, right?" she asked before they both looked over to where their younger friend was gathering up her things a couple yards away.

Hazel was a couple years younger than the captains, but was already a rather talented back row player for their team. They always went and hung out before the football games, which was an event that every single person in town attended. The bleachers were always a full sea of blue and white, and the cheers were deafening.

It was an energy that always gave Annabeth a rush of adrenaline. It reminded her of when her and her team made it to the state finals last season. The entire gym was packed with fans and a lot of people from home there to watch them. Of course, they had lost that game. The final point that had ended the game haunted all of the returning varsity players who hadn't graduated. It's what drove them to compete this season. But football was a much different energy altogether from volleyball, and Annabeth lived for it.

Hazel perked up when she heard her name, and raised her head to look at the two captains, giving a grin. "Hey, don't leave without me," the shorter girl laughed as she stood up, now dressed similarly to Annabeth in a hoodie and shorts. Piper finishes up before they all head out together to the blonde's car.

* * *

When they arrived at the field about fifteen minutes before the game was set to start, the bleachers were already packed with fans decked out in blue and white to root for the Goode Sharks in their opening game of the season against their rivals, the Central Titans. As the three girls walked in and found seats together near the front of the student section in the bleachers, they looked to the field where both teams were warming up.

That was about the time that Percy was getting thrown passes as he mimicked his position in some of their plays. Every kind of way he handled a football felt natural to him, whether it was catching, passing, or rushing. He had played football ever since he was a little kid, and he'd loved it ever since. Since it was his senior season and he was a team captain, he felt a certain pressure to perform well this season. He really hoped that he would deliver.

The clock for their warmup ticked down, and he felt a rather anxious feeling enter his stomach as he went to jog over and meet his team. He was decked out in his white number 15 jersey and his dark blue helmet with the outline of a shark on it. He fiddled nervously with the straps of his gloves as their coach began to give them a final pre-game pep talk.

"Listen guys, this team we're playing? They won the state championship last year. They play nasty and they play scrappy. This," he said, gesturing off to the black-and-red-clad players finishing their warmup at the other half of the field, "is the hardest team you'll all play this season." He paced back and forth in front of them methodically, thinking to himself as if he was calculating the exact words that needed to leave his mouth.

Percy didn't know what the head coach could have actually said to make this better. Ever since his own freshman year and long before, the Central Titans had been their rivals. The game was always a sought-after time of the season, and everyone came knowing it was going to be an amazing game. Percy actually had some...history with some of the guys on the Titans team, and all he knew is that he had to crush them every time he saw them. Y'know. For pride reasons.

"I know you can pull this out. Everyone in the damn town is here to watch every single one of you kick their asses," he continued, looking pointedly at Percy before his eyes shifted on to the rest of the somber team. "So do it. Get out there and do it. We've been working hard all summer for this!" As he continued to speak, he got louder and the players around him got more and more hyped up, cheering and clapping and smacking each other on their helmets.

Their coach went silent, and it took Percy a moment to realize the team was staring intently at him, waiting for their captain to speak. He coughed to clear his throat and gave everyone a big grin. "What are you looking at me for? Let's get out there and win!" he yelled before everyone cheered as loud as possible, the entire team rushing forward and accidentally crushing their coach between them. "Let's go boys!" Jason yelled before they all cheered "SHARKS" at the top of their lungs before the clock on the scoreboard hit zero and the buzzer went off loudly. It was time to start.

* * *

For Percy, the game was a blur. Hitting people, getting hit, catching passes, running until he physically couldn't anymore. He ended up scoring a couple times, thanks to his almost psychic style of communication with Jason. The blonde quarterback seemed to know Percy's intentions before he even began moving, and hit him with passes whenever possible.

By the end of the fourth, Percy was exhausted both physically and mentally. He hadn't really gone out the entire game, since his coach loved keeping him in for both defense and offense to play separate positions. What could he say? He was pretty fast.

They had the ball for what they hoped to make the final possession, and they were on the opposing team's 21 yard line with 15 seconds remaining in the quarter. The score was 32-35, with the Goode Sharks losing by a mere 3 points. As they lined up to begin the next play, Jason gave Percy a knowing look through his face mask, which he responded to with a subtle nod. It was time for the play the two of them had been working on all summer. Their "finishing move" as Jason liked to call it.

After the ball was snapped, Percy took off in a flash, zipping around his defender and taking off down the field. He was well into the end zone when he finally saw the ball spiraling towards him. He reached out to catch it. He could almost taste victory. He vaguely heard the buzzer go off to signify the end of the quarter and the game, but it didn't matter. All he needed to do was catch the ball, and they would win.

The moment seemed to go in slow motion, the ball flying towards him, him leaping up to catch it, when all of a sudden he was knocked out of the air and slammed into the ground. The wind was knocked out of him, and all he could see was a guy in a stark black and red jersey above him, smirking from underneath his helmet, and the ball falling to the ground somewhere above his head. He'd been flattened before he could catch the ball.

Immediately, the entire crowd erupted into angry shouts and jeers at the refs, who jogged to the middle of the field as if nothing had happened. Even their coach and his own teammates were screaming at the refs, calling for pass interference. His coach threw down his headset and just yelled angrily, though the refs acted as if nothing had happened.

As Percy struggled to get up, the opposing player still on top of him shoved him back down, sneering. "Just remember," he said in a voice laced with arrogance and cruelty, "you'll never be able to beat us. No matter how hard you try. You're not good enough." With one last laugh, he got up, using Percy's helmet to push himself up. It shoved his head back against the ground before the Titans player jogged off to meet his team.

Percy sat up and rested his helmet against his knees. He hadn't been able to do it. They had lost.

Everyone watching the game simply stood there, stunned, as the victorious Titans left the field, jeering at the Sharks the whole way off. Percy couldn't even stand up. All he could do was sit there and watch as everyone in their blue and white gear filed out of the bleachers. The student section headed down to meet the players and get pictures and everything before the boys headed to the locker room.

He saw a lone, scrawny guy in a white jersey and helmet coming towards him, and by his stature and the smile underneath his helmet he knew immediately it was their team's kicker, Leo Valdez. The shorter boy came over and silently took a seat next to Percy, removing his helmet and settling it between his feet as they sat together and watched the fans file out.

"It's not your fault, Perce," he said eventually, glancing over at the halfback with a small sigh. "If anything, it's mine." Leo dropped his head and kicked at the grass in the end zone. "I missed that field goal in the third quarter. If I had made it, we would've tied..." He trailed off and shook his head slightly before he looked up at the halfback. "Just don't beat yourself up about it."

Percy just shook his head in response and removed his helmet as well, setting it in front of him on the grass. His dark hair had fallen into his eyes, but he didn't feel like moving it out of the way. "I still feel bad," he admitted with a shrug. "I should've caught that. If I had just run a bit faster, I could've gotten it before he took me down."

Leo gave his friend a look and shook his head, patting his shoulder. "Dude, it's not your fault," he assured with a small smile. "The refs didn't call anything on what definitely should've been pass interference. And plus? There's nothing you can do about that catch now. This game's over." He have Percy his signature crooked grin that made everyone feel a lot better, no matter what the situation was. "All you can do is gear up and get ready to kick ass in the next game."

The dark-haired captain gave his teammate a small smile before sighing and shaking his head. "Fair enough," he laughed and stood up, grabbing his helmet before Leo hopped up beside him and grinned. As they began their walk together across the field towards the exit, he jabbed Percy in the ribs. "By the way, Jason invited us over to his place to hang out. Luke's home from college and wanted to meet up with us and some of the other guys."

Percy nodded in agreement as he glanced around quickly, taking in the lights and the field one last time before they exited and began to head to the locker room to join their coach and their team. "Sounds like fun, Leo." He stayed silent for a moment before he gave the kicker a lopsided grin. "I bet Jason invited Piper over too, didn't he?"

"Well, shit. Of course he did."


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, guys. Sorry about the delay. I've had this written for a while but I just never posted it. Hope it was worth the wait. Remeber to review and recommend and all that good stuff. I don't own any of the characters (obviously). Enjoy!

* * *

After the disheartening loss that the Sharks had experienced to the Titans, the mood in the student section and the rest of the crowd was dismal, to say the least.

Piper insisted upon dragging both Annabeth and Hazel along to talk to Jason before he headed off to change. As soon as the quarterback was in sight, the brunette was off in a flash to go meet him, causing her friends to simply laugh and hang back to wait. When the two finished talking and Piper walked back over to join her friends, she had the biggest, most lovestruck smile either of them had ever seen on her face.

"He wants us all to come over to his place!" she said excitedly, holding back a squeal of excitement. "We have to go!" Hazel and Annabeth exchanged a look before shrugging. _What's_ _the_ _worst_ _that_ _could_ _happen?_ The blonde thought to herself as they all walked out to the parking lot together.

They all got into Piper's car, which might've been the nicest thing Annabeth had ever been in. Her dad was one of the most famous actors in Hollywood and her mom was one of the most well-known models in the fashion industry, but you'd never really know it looking at Piper. She usually wore minimal makeup and typical clothes usually including jeans, sweaters, hoodies, and her favorite old ski jacket. She still always looked gorgeous, which Annabeth simply assumed was due to genetics. Probably, anyway.

As for her own parents, her dad was a professor of military history at a university, and her mom was an architect. She never saw much of her mother, though, but that's a story for another time. Neither Annabeth nor Piper knew much about Hazel's parents, since she didn't talk much about them. The only thing they could piece together was that her dad left her and her mom when she was very young.

Enough of that tangent, though.

The trio all climbed into Piper's car, and Annabeth was about to ask for directions to Jason's house when the brunette cut her off with a grin. "I know the place. I've already been there a couple times."

Annabeth scratched her head in confusion and winced. "Ah...a couple times? You two just started talking a week ago." Piper snickered to herself as she pulled out of the parking lot.

"I know."

* * *

When Piper pulled up into what she claimed to be Jason's driveway, her friends were taken aback. The place was huge. Like, close to mansion-sized.

In front of the car stood a three-story, white house with big columns out and elegantly trimmed bushes and flower gardens scattered meticulously around the front of the house. Vines crept up the walls of the house and a few could even be seen curling around the massive columns. Piper had previously mentioned that Jason's mother was an actress and his father was a big business tycoon, but she didn't think that this was what the product would look like.

"Wow..." Hazel breathed, snapping Annabeth back into reality as she parked in front of the massive garage off to the side. She could only imagine what kinds of cars his parents drove. As they all climbed out and made their way towards the front door, Piper was walking a bit faster than the rest of them, eager to see Jason.

Annabeth and Hazel walked along together behind their crushing brunette friend, making comments to one another about how gorgeous the house was. They got to the door and Piper knocked, clasping her hands together in front of her. They heard some voices from the other side, mainly one yelling that they were coming to the door.

When it swung open, it was the blonde quarterback himself, a bright smile on his face as he saw them. "Hey, guys," he said before he held open the door and beckoned then inside, his eyes lingering on Piper as he grinned. Annabeth had to chuckle as she walked past him. Those two getting together was long overdue.

As she stepped through the doorway and looked around, she was even more amazed by the inside of the house than she was the outside. The inside of the house was warm and inviting, and exquisitely decorated with plush leather couches and armchairs. She could see a large, modern-looking kitchen through a doorway on the left and some other hallways leading further back into the house.

In the living room, she could see a handful of people already there. Of course Leo Valdez and Percy Jackson were there, since they were all best friends. Frank Zhang, another football player, was also there, seated on the couch with the rest of the guys, restlessly tapping his finger on the top of a can of soda. She could vaguely see Drew and Silena in the kitchen, talking and laughing as they stood closely together.

As she continued to look around, Annabeth got tunnel vision when she saw a head full of sandy blonde hair and the most bright blue eyes she'd ever seen.

Luke.

She ran over, the biggest smile on her face, and threw her arms around him. She was greeted with his signature bright grin and a laugh as he threw his arms around her, lifting her up into the air as they hugged. "Hey there, Beth," he mumbled in a soft voice as she buried her face into his shoulder, that stupid, stupid smile still covering her face.

When they finally did separate, her hands stayed resting against his chest and his on her waist. "I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow!" she said breathlessly, trying not to feel flustered as her fingers pressed up against the toned muscles of his chest that she could feel even over top of his shirt.

He cracked that charming smile that she'd fallen for the first time she had ever seen it, and shrugged his shoulders. "I wanted to surprise you."

It took Annabeth several moments to realize that the conversations around them had dimmed and that everyone's eyes were on her, glimmering with either amusement or something that resembled discomfort. She slowly backed away from him, hesitating before she took his hand and pulled him over to sit with her on the couch.

This night had gotten infinitely more enjoyable.

* * *

It was a Friday night, a night typically home to lots of alcohol, sex, and regret, though Percy was spending it sitting on the floor with Frank and Leo weighing the merits of their favorite NFL players and drinking ungodly amounts of soda.

Well, Leo was anyway. The kid already had ADHD, and now he was hyped up off of four cans of Mountain Dew as well as the adrenaline from the game. He'd ranked the entire Giant's defensive line from best to worst before Percy and Frank had even brought up the team.

Well, in Percy's own personal ranking of Friday night adventures, this one wasn't so bad. It sure as hell beat doing homework, or even getting completely trashed at a normal party anyone on their team or the cheerleading squad would have thrown. Not that Percy drank anyway.

Yep, he was content just sitting there debating quarterbacks with his teammates. As Frank and Leo argued about what New York team would do the worst this upcoming season, Percy's gaze shifted around the spacious living room to the other people that were there.

Of course, Jason and Piper were seated side-by-side on the love seat, trying to make it seem as if their thighs and shoulders weren't touching and they weren't looking at one another. Yeah, both of those were obviously wrong.

On the other side of the living room there was a large wraparound couch. On one side sat Hazel, Silena, and Drew discussing makeup. Well, it was more of the latter two discussing it all while Hazel looked rather confused and tried to understand the majority of the terms.

On the other side sat Luke, with Annabeth perched almost on his lap. Mostly on his lap. Percy couldn't help but get a gross feeling inside as he glanced over the two, trying not to have that sour of an expression on his face.

Luke had been somewhat of a golden boy at Goode before he'd graduated. Captain of the football and baseball teams, homecoming king, all of that stereotypical stuff you'd expect from any high school's own personal Prince Charming. Obviously, he and Percy had played football together. He was nice and all, to be honest. Percy liked him, but not an overly large amount.

Annabeth, on the other hand, was the kind of popular girl everyone loved. Not only was she incredible at volleyball, but she was wicked smart. She wasn't cocky about any of it, either. He must've been staring for too long, because he noticed both halves of the couple looking in his direction, Luke with more of a poker face while Annabeth just had kind of a confused smile.

Percy's cheeks burned in embarrassment as he offered a sheepish smile before standing. "Leo, do you need more Mountain Dew?" he asked as he brushed off his clothes. The curly-haired boy simply waved a hand in dismissal as Percy walked off to the empty kitchen.

As he did, he was kicking himself. He felt a lot more flustered than he should have at getting caught staring. Why did he care anyway? He walked to the refrigerator and swung the door open, hunching over to rifle around for some soda. He had just spotted some neon green cans behind the milk jug when he heard light footsteps enter the kitchen.

"Hey, mind grabbing me one of those too?" It was none other than Annabeth herself, giving him a bit of a smile as she showed him an empty soda can in her fingers before setting it down on the counter.

Her eyes were the best shade of grey the runningback had ever seen. It always made her seem as if her mind was running a thousand miles an hour.

"Hey, Percy."

He managed a bit of a smile as he nodded at her request before he hunched over again to dig the cans out. "Hey, Annabeth." There was an uncomfortable moment of silence between the two before the dark-haired runningback resurfaced from the fridge with two sodas held in his free hand. He closed the door before offering her one of them, giving her a sheepish smile.

She uttered a quiet thanks and took the can from him before tucking some hair behind her ear. "It's not your fault, you know," she said with a shrug before popping the top of the can and taking a sip.

He gave her a kind of confused look as he restlessly tapped the top of his Mountain Dew. "The game," she clarified with a small smile. "I mean...you played amazing tonight. You can't blame yourself for one bad call, you know?" He nodded absentmindedly at her words but he knew that they'd never make him feel any better. "Yeah, I guess so. I'll be fine."

This was a lie, of course, not that he'd admit that to himself. She seemed to know that, though. "We're a lot alike, honestly," she said with a smile. "We take losses personally. Like...you remember states for volleyball last year."

He sure as hell did remember. He went to watch Jason's sister Thalia play. She'd graduated last year, so it was her senior season. She insisted that her "favorite cousin named Percy" needed to attend her final game, so he did. The championship game ended in the fourth set when one of Annabeth's hits went slightly outside of the boundary lines. The second the line judge at the corner gave her a solemn look and signified the ball was out, she fell to her knees. She was crushed.

It took two of her teammates lifting her to her feet for her to even go shake hands with the victorious team. The only thing Percy did remember very clearly about that game was when the winners were getting pictures taken with the trophy, and Annabeth was seated alone on her team's bench. He had gone over to sit beside her and gave her one of those small travel packs of tissues.

It was one of those ones for kids that had little pictures of fish and sharks and seaweed and stuff on them. She'd teased him about it through her tears, but he'd simply shrugged it off and sat beside her while she cried into his shoulder.

The pair had never been close beyond going to summer camp together as kids, but they both had a common feeling of pressure with their positions on their respective teams. It made them feel connected in some weird way.

He nodded in agreement with her statement, sighing a little as he popped the top of his soda before taking a sip. "We really are the same," he said with a soft laugh. "Really though, I hope you still don't tell the story about my fish tissues."

She cracked a smile as she gave him a nonchalant shrug, sipping her Mountain Dew with a sparkle lighting up her stormy grey eyes. "As a matter of fact, that's what we were just talking about back in the living room when you walked off," she teased with a big smile before her gaze became a bit more serious and she gently touched her hand to his forearm.

She still had a kind smile on her face, and he tried to focus on that instead of how her touch on his arm made his skin light up like he'd been struck with lightning. "Don't worry about that game, though. It'll all turn out fine. You have the rest of the season to focus on."

He didn't want to feel better about his shitty performance, but somehow her words made him feel a bit better. Well, they did for a moment at least. Until Luke walked into the kitchen and gave Percy somewhat of a confused, reserved look as he saw them standing so close together with Annabeth's hand resting against his arm.

His furrowed brow disappeared as the blonde girl turned and saw him approaching, both of them breaking out into immediate bright smiles. "Hey, babe. Ready to get going?" Luke asked as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him, away from Percy. "You're still coming over, right?" Her expression immediately brightened as she tucked herself up against his chest, leaning up to press a kiss to his jaw. "Yeah, of course!"

As they both leaned in to kiss one another, Percy realized he'd never felt more uncomfortable. He cleared his throat a little and would've debated walking out to rejoin his friends in the living room if the couple hadn't been standing directly in front of the doorway.

As they separated, Annabeth grinned happily. "Just let me go say goodbye to Piper and Hazel and we can head out." As she moved out of his arms, she turned to Percy and gave him a quick hug. "Take it easy tonight, fish-face. You'll have other games to kick ass in," she said to him through a soft laugh.

He was so surprised he couldn't even hug her back or come up with a witty comeback before she had pulled away and went out to say goodbye to everyone. Percy wanted to say he'd never had a real problem with Luke, but being in a room alone with him after he'd just hugged and a private conversation with his girlfriend definitely wasn't something he didn't want to do. He went to excuse himself and walk out of the kitchen, but was stopped with a hand gently coming to grip his shoulder. "Not so fast there, Percy," the blonde said through a soft laugh. "We haven't gotten to talk yet!"

As the runningback turned to look at Luke, he felt nervous. He wouldn't try to do anything here, would he? Was he mad that Percy had hugged his girlfriend or that they'd been alone together in the kitchen? He definitely didn't look as annoyed as he could've...he just looked kind of conflicted. As if even he didn't know how he should feel about what had just happened.

"How's football been going, Perce? I wanted to come to the game tonight, but I had a late class." His brow furrowed and he shrugged, though he broke into a smile immediately after. "I miss all the guys. It's really nice seeing the gang all here, y'know?"

Percy responded with a simple nod, giving the blonde a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I gotcha," he laughed before taking a long sip from his can of Mountain Dew. Why wasn't this awkward? If their positions were reversed, Percy would feel so awkward. But Luke seemed perfectly fine and dandy. Well...not that that's a bad thing, anyway.

"Well, tonight was our first game, against the Titans. We lost though." Percy's brow furrowed as he recalled the game, and gave a soft sigh. Luke hadn't even been there, but he gained a sour expression as well. He knew as well as anyone about the rivalry between the Sharks and the Titans.

Percy told him the story, about how they ran their final play and Percy had gotten brought down before he could even touch the ball, and how the refs had turned a blind eye. The blonde seemed rather invested in his story, and when he finished, he had the biggest scowl on his face. "God, that's some shit," Luke muttered before he rolled his eyes as he patted his shoulder. "Well, just get them next time. That's all you can do."

Percy knew Luke understood. The two of them weren't that different after all, with their team captain positions and the pressure to do well. "You're right. Thanks man." The two exchanged smiles before Annabeth walked back into the kitchen again. Luke turned to her and his expression brightened completely. "Hey, babe. Let's get out of here." Before they turned to leave, they both looked at Percy and smiled.

"See you around, Perce," Luke said with a grin before he led his girlfriend out of the kitchen and towards the front door. As he heard the chorus of goodbyes from everyone in the living room, Percy found himself letting out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding in.

As much as he wanted to dislike Luke, he couldn't bring himself to. He was a great guy. And honestly? He might have been a little jealous of him. Everything always came so easily to him. Football, school, his social life, and even his girlfriend...

It's not like he was into her or anything. But it didn't hurt that she was kind of cute and athletic and smart and that her smile or her laugh made Percy feel like he was trying to breathe underwater and that he could just lose himself in those grey eyes of hers and...oh.

The realization hit him as he stood there alone in Jason's kitchen, his fingers wrapped around the slightly cool can of Mountain Dew. "No way I'm into her," he muttered to himself. "I can't be."

Even though he wanted to believe himself, he knew that it was just one of many lies he had told himself that night.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, y'all. I almost posted this consistently. Almost. But, again, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Feel free to leave any comments or feedback or anything. I don't own anything used in here, by the way. Enjoy!

* * *

While going to Jason's house after the game and hanging out had been fun, Annabeth was beyond grateful to have some time alone with Luke. He pulled her against him as they walked to his car, and she felt happy and content. She tucked up against his side, and was so close she could faintly recognize the scent of the deodorant he always wore. They only parted once they reached the car, and she eagerly hopped into the passenger side.

She had a lot of good memories of her and Luke in that car. Late night drives listening to music and talking about anything and everything that came to mind, going on dates to the old drive-in theater over the summer, road trips to the beach and the fair with their friends...the list went on and on.

As he climbed in and started up the car, some music started playing softly on the radio. Luke pulled out and started driving off towards his place before he reached over and slipped his hand into Annabeth's, causing her to grin like an idiot.

He had that effect on her...he always had.

They began to talk about anything they could think of. They discussed Luke's classes and his roommates at college (apparently one consistently tried dealing pot out of their dorm room) while Annabeth talked about her own school misadventures, though mainly about volleyball.

He glanced down at her and gave her a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to any of your games this week, babe," he apologized with a shrug. "I have to head back upstate on Sunday. I have an early class on Monday, so..." He trailed off and groaned. "I've been so excited to see you play."

She gave him a smile and shrugged her shoulders, squeezing his hand. "Hey, don't worry about it. We have a few tournaments on weekends you could come to!"

She always loved when Luke came to her games. After it was over, he'd give her the brightest smile and a big bear hug, talking about how proud he was of her. They'd had a tradition last year of taking a picture together after every game, and it killed her that she couldn't do it again this year since he was in school.

He nodded instantly at her suggestion and grinned. "Of course!" he laughed. "I can't wait." They both grew quiet for a moment, and she could feel his fingers gently tighten around her own. "Uh...I do have a question though," he said unsurely.

That's how she knew it was bugging him...he was never unsure of himself.

She trained her eyes on his, watching his profile as he concentrated on the road. It was late, and therefore dark out. The only light available was the lights cast from the radio and the instrument panel and the occasional streetlight that turned his features a dim shade of orange. "What is it?" she found her voice as she saw him bite his lip, practically seeing his gears turning as he considered what to say.

"I don't...have anything to worry about with Percy, do I?"

His voice was quiet in a way Annabeth had never heard of before, and she found her grip on his hand tightening a bit as a form of reassurance. "Oh, Luke..." she said in a soft voice before it trailed into a sigh. "Of course you don't." She let her gaze drift down to their intertwined fingers, his hand so much bigger and tougher than her own.

"We're just friends and nothing more. I'm all yours, don't worry." As her eyes trailed back up to his face, she could see the hints of a smile forming on his lips. "Good," he said with a grin as he came to a gentle stop at a red light.

Just as he stopped, he let go of the wheel and turned to her, taking her face gently into his free hand and pressing a soft kiss to her lips, causing her to immediately relax and close her eyes.

They'd kissed so many times before, but all she could focus on was how soft his lips felt, and how her cheek fit so nicely against the palm of his hand, and how his lips tasted like minty chapstick.

When he pulled away, she knew her face was red and she had the most stupid smile on her face. Her eyes opened and she was greeted by his bright blue ones, visible and clear even in the dim light of the car, as well as his bright, handsome smile she'd fallen in love with. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the bright green portion of the light glaring at them from above.

Neither of them seemed to care as they leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

Fast forward a few days later to a Wednesday that happened to be one of Annabeth's favorite times: game day. Every game day had its own excitement and perks, but home games had always been her absolute favorite. A gym full of blue and white Shark fans, the home-court advantage, and the feeling of making your home town proud.

They were in the the final set of the game, and every single part of Annabeth felt on edge and on high alert as she shifted eagerly back and forth the balls of her feet. She had been watching the team on the other side of the net set up the ball, latching onto every single movement and call to one another the opposing girls made.

As one girl set up the middle hitter, Annabeth let her instincts take over as she leapt up, her arms outstretched to try and block the hit. Looking back on them, she'd always say those moments went by in slow motion. Straining to get as high as possible, positioning her hands and splaying her fingers at the correct time to maximize the area she covered, even the way she gritted her teeth as firmly as possible.

On this particular attempt, her timing and location was right on and the ball met her hands, bouncing right back down at the unprepared girls where it struck the court with a thump and went bouncing away. The blonde hitter was greeted by the loud, resounding tweet of the whistle and plenty of cheers from the stands as the block marked the 25th point for the Goode Sharks.

Since they'd won both of the first sets, it also marked their win over the visiting Bay Area Wolves. They went to shake hands with the other team before they all gathered into the center of the court, cheering happily as they celebrated their sixth straight win of the season.

"Great job, ladies!" their coach said, trying to remain composed, even though her players saw the big grin threatening to overtake her face. "Alright, let's keep this momentum going through this week and take it all the way to states!" They all whooped loudly, letting out one last "SHARKS" cheer before they dispersed to meet up with their friends and families.

Since Luke had gone home the night before, and her dad and step-mother were both occupied at her brothers' soccer game, none of them could make it. Piper immediately ran over to see Jason, who'd come with some of his friends to fill out the Goode student section. Even Hazel had her older brother Nico that she headed over to after the end of the game, both of them smiling as they talked.

Annabeth? She really didn't have anyone.

After the game concluded, she simply headed off towards the locker room. She was stopped here and there by students or her teammates' parents, all telling her how good she did that night. She smiled and thanked them, though all she wanted to do was change out of her sweaty uniform and get home. She was almost to the locker room doors when someone behind her tapped her arm to get her attention.

"Uh, hey, Annabeth."

She turned around to see none other than Percy Jackson hanging back behind her, giving her lopsided smile. While the blonde would never swoon over him like other girls did, she could appreciate that he was attractive with his windswept black hair and those sea green eyes of his.

He was dressed in a pair of faded jeans and some black tennis shoes with a blue Goode sharks hoodie, and he was all smiles. "You did amazing," he praised her through a laugh. "Like when you hit the ball so hard at that girl that she fell over? That was badass."

Annabeth managed a smile for what felt like the millionth time that night as she shrugged her shoulders, a small laugh escaping her lips. "Thanks, Percy," she said genuinely as she gave him a nod. "It means a lot." He gave her that smile and shrugged his shoulders, brushing his fingers through his hair to push it back from his forehead.

His lips parted and by the look in his eyes it appeared as if he wanted to say something else. A moment later it appeared that he decided against it as he closed his mouth again and gave her a nod. "No problem." He reached out to pat her arm before he turned to leave, his hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie.

He glanced over his shoulder, his signature lopsided smile gracing his lips. "Have a good night, Annabeth." He walked off again, presumably to rejoin Jason and his other teammates that had come to the game.

She didn't know if she should find him talking to her weird or not.

They'd rarely talked before beyond during class about English homework or what was for lunch that day in the cafeteria. Maybe it was because of Piper and Jason, like he felt some kind of pressure to talk to her because their best friends were dating. That was probably it, right?

She turned on her heel and walked into the quiet locker room, still deep in thought. As she sat down on a bench beside her black duffel bag, she began to unlace her volleyball shoes. It's not like it was a problem, the two of them becoming friends.

She'd always liked Percy. He was respectful and obviously a hard worker, and she liked those qualities in her friends. But it confused her nonetheless. He was obviously putting in effort to become friends with her, and she didn't mind it.

She stuffed her shoes into her bag and slipped on a baggy pair of sweatpants over her black spandex before she tugged off her white long-sleeved jersey, tossing it into her bag as well.

She always felt so sweaty and grimy after games. She worked hard, and it showed. But it also meant that in every post-game picture, she looked disgusting. _Athlete problems,_ she thought to herself with a grin as she slipped on a clean t-shirt and a light jacket. She threw on her favorite white Crocs and grabbed her keys and her bag before she stood up to head back out to the gym.

After games, she always felt so shaky and full of adrenaline. But the walk back to a quiet locker room always helped clear her head and relax her. She'd found herself making this walk more and more as of late. While all her teammates were talking to their families and their boyfriends, she left early.

She never had anyone there to specifically see her. She snorted slightly at the thought and rolled her eyes to herself. _You're acting really emo right now,_ she thought to herself with a shake of her head as she pushed the locker room door open and headed back out to the gym.

Nonetheless, it was really nice of Percy to talk to her after the game. She enjoyed actually speaking to someone like that. She grinned at everyone as she walked through the gym and said goodbye to some of her teammates and their families when she passed them.

As she pushed open the gym door and the cool fall air hit her in the face, she let out a soft sigh.

Hey, maybe she did have someone there to support her that night. It's just not anyone she would have actually suspected.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, guys. Sorry about the wait. It's a bit of a longer chapter though, so I hope it makes up for it. Remeber to give a follow or a favorite and leave a review. I don't own anything, either. Enjoy!

* * *

There were only a handful of things Percy enjoyed less than calculus with Ms. Dodds.

Those few things included running sprints until he threw up, that time he fell off a trampoline when he was a kid and snapped his ankle, and the idea of going vegan. And even then it was so close it was almost a tie.

He could barely focus on the lessons she taught because he was so caught up on how gross her gnarled fingers and her stringy hair looked. Instead of focusing on derivatives or integrals or whatever she kept lecturing about, he often found himself staring out the window or up at the clock above the door and daydreaming.

He thought about football, his weekend plans, and anything else that popped into his head. The only thing that ever really brought him out of his daze was the bell ringing, the sound of his classmates' books shutting, or whenever Dodds ran over and stood beside his desk with her thin arms folded over her chest, which happened rather often.

"Mr. Jackson," he vaguely heard, before he finally raised his eyes from the window to meet Ms. Dodd's angry, beady ones.

What a perfect example.

He jumped a bit at seeing her so close, and he faintly heard everyone snickering under their breath. He made a disgruntled noise and gave her as much of a sincere smile as he could manage. "Uh, yeah?"

She got this smirk on her face that she got only when she knew a student was screwed over. "If you could explain your answer to number ten for us," she said with a grin. He hesitated and flipped through his notebook, searching for the answer.

Truthfully, he hadn't done last night's homework, and he didn't plan to. He got decent grades and felt no need to study things he already knew pretty well. Dodds didn't collect the homework for points anyway.

As said teacher hovered over him like a vulture waiting to devour some helpless roadkill, someone from the other side of the room piped up. "Ma'am, he probably just doesn't have his work because we worked on the assignment together."

He peered behind Dodds to see none other than Annabeth Chase herself giving their calculus teacher a sheepish smile while she held up her notebook and the homework, all done in her neat handwriting. "We did the work together on my paper. It's all right here."

When Dodds gave Percy a suspicious glare, he simply nodded in agreement, offering a sheepish smile. "Yeah, we did. I just thought it was unnecessary for us both to have a copy of the work."

She scowled but it didn't remain on her face for long. She loved Annabeth. Everyone did.

She gave a begrudging nod and continued onto the next problem, looking around to find some other poor soul to try and catch off guard. As she walked away, Percy let out a breath and glanced over to Annabeth, trying to catch her eye.

He wanted to thank her for saving his ass, but she just never ended up looking over. The rest of the class period for Percy was spent between ignoring Dodds and stealing glances at the his own personal savior.

When the bell rang, he hurriedly stuffed his books into his faded blue backpack before he walked to meet her before she left. She was hunched over her desk gathering up all the things scattered across it when he got her attention by gently touching his fingertips to her shoulder.

She raised her head and gave him a small smile, her grey eyes dark and gorgeous as always. "Hey, uh, not that I'm complaining, but why'd you do that?" he asked curiously as he looked into her eyes, giving her a sheepish smile.

She shrugged and laughed as she finished gathering up her things, slinging her backpack across her shoulders. "Unlike Dodds, I don't take pleasure in watching people fail."

The two of them began to walk out together, falling into pace side by side. "If you were one of those kids who talked through every lecture and didn't know how to spell calculus, I don't think I would've helped," she admitted with a shrug. "But I know you know what you're doing. It's not fair of her to do that to you."

He simply listened to her reasoning, feeling more thankful with each passing sentence. They walked in a comfortable silence for a few seconds before he cracked a smile and glanced over at her.

"Thanks, Annabeth. It means a lot," he laughed softly as he played with his fingers. "And, uh...maybe we could study together sometime. Y'know. Just so we aren't lying to her or anything."

He tried his hardest to seem playful and nonchalant, though he felt kind of panicked. There's no reason he should've felt that jittery. She took a few moments to respond, and Percy simply waited for her impending rejection.

"You know, I think that'd be great," she said with a smile. "Calculus is pretty difficult. It'd be nice to go over homework and study with someone else in the class that isn't an idiot." She broke into a laugh, and he grinned, thrilled at her response. "Yeah, of course. That sounds awesome," he chuckled, feeling as if a big weight had been hoisted off of his shoulders.

They reached a row of lockers, and Annabeth slowed at what he could only assume was hers. "Well, just text me and let me know," she said with a warm smile. "See you around, fish-face."

He snorted and rolled his eyes at her, walking away with a stupid smile on his face.

* * *

Daily three hour practices really exhausted Percy and his teammates. Conditioning, drills, weightlifting, sprints, and running plays for hours on end was hard on them. Though if anyone complained, even as a mutter under their breath, one of their assistant coaches responsible for their training would throw a football at their head.

Good old Coach Hedge.

They often went around as smaller groups to practice, one group doing lifting, one group running plays, one group doing speed drills, all that stuff. Percy's group - which consisted of himself, Jason, Frank, and a handful of other guys that made of their first string offensive line - was headed inside to lift after a hard session of speed and agility drills.

Now, running and sprinting for an hour in heavy padding and a helmet in the hot sun made lifting feel like a dream come true.

Everyone around him had stripped off their padding and helmets and was carrying it in their hands on their way inside, laughing and joking around about who had fallen during the drills and reliving highlights from the game they'd played last week against the Titans.

Percy laughed when appropriate but stayed quiet the rest of the time, already thinking about their game the next day against the Redwood Raiders. They were a scrappy team that he had played in football since elementary school, though his team had always won anyway.

The Raiders weren't actually very good. So he had an opportunity to go as hard as he could and see what he could do without much opposition.

He was dragged out of his train of thought by Jason laughing and slapping his back, pushing him inside the school through the double-doors that hooked onto the gym. "C'mon, Perce. Time to lift."

The dark-haired teen gave his friend a playfully grim smile as he nodded. "Yay us."

Jason cracked a bright, playful grin as he slapped Percy's side. "Hey, careful there with the enthusiasm. Hedge might have to come beat it out of you."

They all laughed as they made their way inside. One of the other runningbacks, a quick, lithe guy named Malcolm, cleared his throat before doing a near-perfect imitation of Coach Hedge. "You little girls stop your damn whining! If you don't shut your mouths I'm going to make you do burpees until you throw up!"

Everyone snorted with laughter as they began to head through the gym towards the weight room, all of them doing their best impressions of their assistant coach. They couldn't help but notice that the girls' volleyball team was still hard at work, running drills and scrimmaging one another.

Percy saw a sweaty and tired Annabeth approach the net with an angry, hungry look in her eyes as she hit the ball, sending it straight down into the court. The girls on the receiving end seemed too afraid to make a move for it, and her teammates on her side all cheered happily.

The glare was gone, and she was all smiles as she got back into position. "Hey, Piper!" Jason called with a wave, making the brunette girl blush and wave back sheepishly.

"Hey, no flirting at practice!" her coach called out to her setter, giving Jason a bit of a restrained glare as everyone around both sides of the couple began to laugh.

Jason just shrugged with a grin as they all made their way to the doors on the other side of the gym, though Percy was still stealing glances at the blonde hitter.

They were waiting for their coach to give them some tips, and the pair made eye contact. After a quick second, he saw Annabeth smile and give a bit of a nonchalant wave before she turned back to the net, ready to play. Percy felt himself smile a bit as he headed out of the gym and down the hall towards the weight room.

Luke was one lucky guy. She was honestly kind of a badass.

* * *

Annabeth was eternally grateful to have Friday off school. It was for some kind of teacher work day, which - no matter how stupid of a reason - she was happy about. She had been planning to spend the day in her room watching Netflix, sleeping, and talking to Luke.

She texted him a few times, but he didn't really answer. He must have been busy. It was a bit hard sometimes when they couldn't talk, but they made it through those rough patches.

For the most part anyway.

She had been sitting there on her phone waiting and hoping for Luke to answer her texts when Piper asked her and Hazel to go to the mall for a bit, she agreed. She'd rather be out with her friends and focused on something else anyway.

So, she got dressed in some decent-looking clothes and waited downstairs for Piper to come pick her up. Her dad was at work, and her step-mother and brothers were doing something or other with their family that Annabeth wasn't related to, so the house was quiet and calm.

What a first.

She waited inside until she saw Piper's car pull into the driveway, and she ran out, though she was surprised to see Jason in the passenger seat and a couple more extra people seated in the back. Percy and Frank in the last row, and Hazel by herself in the middle.

Both of her friends had sheepish smiles on their faces, and Annabeth knew she had been making a face. She climbed into the backseat beside Hazel, glancing curiously back at the boys seated behind them before her eyes came to Piper, who was pulling out of the driveway so suddenly Annabeth was sure that it was so she couldn't jump back out.

"Sorry, Beth. I should've told you the boys were coming with us." The blonde shrugged to herself and gave Hazel a smile in greeting. "Don't worry about it. The more the merrier, right?" Piper gave her the biggest smile before she turned to take Jason's hand and continued driving.

It's not like she had a problem with the boys coming, but she wished she would've known beforehand so she could have dressed in something other than a t-shirt and a jacket with some blue jeans. As she settled into her seat beside Hazel, she could vaguely hear Percy and Frank's hushed conversation going on behind them.

It was something about Frank growing a pair and just doing...something. She didn't want to listen in, though, so she turned to Hazel and struck up a conversation about a reality TV show they both watched.

Hazel went on a tangent about how stupid one guy's decision was, and Annabeth just listened and threw in her thoughts whenever it was necessary. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad.

At least she was out with some people she genuinely liked, right?

She was starting to realize a trend. Every time she asked herself "How bad could it be?" it turned out to be pretty bad.

Like the party with the closet incident, or that time she went canoeing with her little brothers and herself in one boat and her parents in the other. Basically, they flipped the entire canoe into the river and Annabeth had to swim the rest of the way in her jeans.

Well, maybe this situation was a bit better, but it still wasn't ideal.

The blonde understood and appreciated that Piper and Jason were hitting it off really well, but to drag her along on some kind of crazy group date and then leave to go off with her boyfriend was kind of a dick move.

She knew she couldn't stay mad at her friend, and that the second the brunette came back she'd invite Annabeth over to binge Grey's Anatomy and eat popcorn and she'd be forgiven in the blink of an eye, but still. It was rough.

Basically, the group had come into the mall and walked around together for a bit. Then Jason asked Piper to come with him to buy out a video game that had just come out. Percy tagged along, their dismay, and Annabeth was left with Frank and Hazel.

She loved Hazel to death, and Frank had always reminded her of a big teddy bear, so she was fine with it. Then Hazel suggested that they go check out a new coffee place that had just opened up.

Annabeth heard the tone in her voice, and decided to leave the pair to give them some alone time. She was fine with it, honestly. She and Piper had always said that the two would make a cute couple.

So, she let them go off and was left on her own.

She wandered around the mall absentmindedly, fiddling with the zipper of her jacket, until she came across a sporting goods store. She smiled a little to herself as she headed in, already hearing Piper making fun of her for always thinking about volleyball.

Honestly, her brunette friend was right.

She looked through some overpriced spandex and sweatpants before she decided to go look for some new knee pads. Hers were from last season and they were about ripped to shreds. When she came to the aisle, the shelves stocked with various kinds of sports equipment, she found Percy picking through the football gloves, a bored expression on his face.

When he recognized her walk down, he glanced over and grinned a bit. "Hey there. Got tired of the awkward group date?" he asked with a laugh as he replaced a pair of gloves to the shelf. She nodded with a grin and located the volleyball knee pads a couple feet to the runningback's left.

"Honestly, I did. Kind of. After you three left, Hazel and Frank wanted to go off and get coffee. I wanted to let them have a nice little date on their own, so I just wandered around by myself," Annabeth explained with a slight shrug as she examined the various packages to try and find the right brand and color.

She heard him laugh a little bit as he rustled through some more gloves. "Yeah, it took me a good few minutes to realize that Piper and Jason wanted some alone time. After we checked out the game store, I just said I had to go look at some football stuff." He picked through a couple packs with a smile. "God, even after getting dragged out on a group date, you have to love them," he joked with a grin.

She didn't even have to look to be able to know he had a big, pearly white smile on his face. She could hear it in his voice. She nodded in agreement and smiled as she shuffled around some packages. "Really though."

She momentarily stopped her search to glance over at him, seeing him looking between a pair of crisp white gloves with a black logo, or a pair of bright blue gloves with a white logo. She debated for a moment before she took a step towards him and tapped the package with the blue gloves.

"Those would look great with your uniform," she said with a smile. "That's, like, the perfect shade of Shark blue."

They both laughed as she stepped back to try and locate the correct kneepads. She'd found the right color and brand, but not the size. "They really are," he said with a bit of a grin before he hesitantly sighed and put both pairs back. "Wish I had that money lying around," he joked with a grin.

Despite his smile, she could hear the regret in his voice as he set them back. Before she could say anything, he looked down at her and smiled. "I should probably get a job, but the last place I worked was at that ice cream place in town."

Her eyes lightened up as she turned to him, laughing. "God, I remember that! I came in there one time with Thalia and Piper last summer. You broke, like, three cones." He gave her a sheepish shrug and a smile, stifling laughter.

"I never said I was good at what I did," he assured her before they both broke into big grins.

She turned back to the shelf, that smile still on her face, and shook her head to herself. He must have seen her looking around through all the kneepads the entire time she'd been in the aisle, and he leaned over to reach up and grab a pack off the top shelf.

"Are you a medium?" he asked as he handed it to her, before his face went slack. "Shit, I probably wasn't supposed to say that, right?"

All she could do was laugh as she patted his back. "Don't worry, you're right. I'm a medium. I just couldn't see the pack from up there." He nodded and shrugged a little to himself, biting his lip to stifle a smile.

"Just be glad I'm tall, Chase, or else you would've been here for an hour."

They both heard a ringing noise sound from Percy's phone, and he sighed as he grabbed it. He checked it momentarily before chuckling. "The lovebirds are ready to head out," he said as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. "I'll run and tell 'em to wait for you while you pay. Hurry up though, alright?" he joked and gave her a grin before he stepped around her and headed out of the store.

She stood there for another moment before her eyes came to rest on the blue gloves he'd been looking at, and she just smiled to herself.


End file.
